In honor of DMX artist Floyd Simmons painted a tribute mural in X's hometown of Yonkers.
The mural depicts X's likeness alongside several notable lyrics from "Look Thru My Eyes." The quotes center around School Street, the housing project where X grew up and made a track titled "School Street," which he dubs "the home of the brave."
Members of the housing project reached out to Simmons, in appreciation of his previous work in Harlem, and took over two weeks to complete
Officially complete, the art is a worthy tribute to X.
DMX's Exodus, landed at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Swizz Beatz hit on why itโs such a hit.
โThe only tribute was the Moneybagg track,โ Swizz detailed. โEverything else X was present and happy for. We had a conversation, and I told him, I said, yo, I know you donโt like a lot of features, but I think itโs time that people should see that other people love you as well and youโre respected by serious, serious artists. The next album, we can get back to how you want to do it, but letโs have some fun. Letโs give them something they canโt expect. Theyโre not expecting you and Bono. Theyโre not expecting you and Alicia. Theyโre not expecting you and Griselda. Theyโre not expecting you, Jay, and Nas on one track. You know what Iโm saying? They never expected an Usher with โLetter To My Son, Call Your Father,โ You know?โ
Exodus is a 13-track LP featuring JAY-Z, Nas, Swizz Beatz, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, and Bono!
โWe did the whole album โ the album was done โ before he passed,โ Swizz Beatz said. โItโs not an album that was pieced together after he passed. We had plans to do a two-month cleansing and workout [program] before we came with the album. He was gonna re-brand himself with new photos of him looking the best that he could look โฆ But unfortunately we didnโt get to that part.โ
Swizz, served as both executive producer and producer on Exodus, which he and DMX began to work on 10 months ago, shortly after he appeared in a Verzuz battle with Snoop.
โHe was feeling all the fansโ love, and he was feeling all the support from his peers,โ Swizz recalled. โHe said, โMan, I love the love. I love the new younger generation showing me love. I just wish I had new songs for them to hear.โ And I said, โWell OK, letโs go!โ
Since DMX passed away, The State of New York officially declared DMXโs birthday, December 18, Earl โDMXโ Simmons Day.
Senate Resolution 631 was introduced on the NYS Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and sponsored by Senator Jamaal T. Bailey. Senator Bailey delivered his own eulogy.
โIn New York we have our own Hip Hop royalty,โ Bailey said. โHeโs the Earl of Westchester County. He is DMX, he is one of the greatest Hip Hop artists that we will ever know. Phenomenal actor, phenomenal for the culture. Someone who gave us so much in the Hip Hop generation. As a kid whose been raised by Hip Hop. I am grateful not just for the accomplishments that DMX has given, but Iโm more happy about the impact that Earl Simmons left on the world. May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.โ
Following the death of DMX, many revisited his discography. The surge of posthumous streams was enough to push DMX's "Ruff Ryders Anthem" into the 16th position, of the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the highest-charting single of his career. In addition "Party Up" hit the 40th position, and "X Gon Give It To Ya" hit #46, and the album on which they're all gathered The Best Of DMX locked in the #2 spot on the Billboard charts after moving seventy-eight thousand units.
Though X is not here to celebrate the achievement, it still feels right to see "Ruff Ryders Anthem" possibly hit the top spot on the charts. So, lets keep the momentum going. Let's get the anthem to number one.
Right now it's holding it down as the highest-charting song of DMX's career.
In X's career he released It's Dark and Hell Is Hot followed by four chart-topping albums โ... And Then There Was X,โ โFlesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,โ โThe Great Depressionโ and โGrand Champ.โ He released seven albums in total and earned three Grammy nominations.
DMX also hit the big screen starring in the 1998 film โBellyโ and โRomeo Must Dieโ and teamed up with Aaliyah for the filmโs soundtrack song โCome Back in One Piece.โ
He then, starred in โExit Woundsโ with Steven Seagal and reunited with Jet Li on โCradle 2 the Graveโ.
Most recently, DMX battled Snoop Dogg during Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's "Verzuz" which in turn got X back into the studio with Swizz to work on a new album.
At the height of Bling in the rap game DMX and Ruff Ryders changed the game and brought New York Hip Hop back to the streets. His raw sound and uneven cadence made his delivery unique and without equal. His voice and music is now and forever engrained in the culture and the industry as a whole is feeling the depths of his loss.
RIP DMX
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